This invention relates generally to document readers, and more specifically, it relates to a document reader which provides precise alignment for the document being read and for the associated reader, like an optical reader, for example.
In the processing of documents, like checks and deposit slips, for example, the documents are moved sequentially on their long, lower edges within a document track past a reader which reads data from the documents. In some prior art readers, the associated document track and the associated document backstop are made of plastic material which tends to warp, causing the distance between the reader and the backstop to vary by a few thousands of an inch. This variation in distance causes incorrect reading by the reader which may be an optical reader for use in Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
For optical readers, it is important that the reading plane on the document be positioned parallel to the reading plane in the optical reading device itself. This presented alignment problems, especially when the optical reader had to be mounted on some portion of the cabinetry associated with the reader.
Optical readers have to be cleaned periodically to remove dirt and dust particles which accumulate in the reader. Very often this means that after cleaning, the reader has to be re-adjusted relative to the documents to be read. In some prior art readers, this cleaning and re-adjusting procedure is tedious and time-consuming.